The action RPG Diablo II comes back with “Diablo II: Resurrected” on September 23, as Blizzard Entertainment announced at BlizzConline earlier this year. What criticism from the community has now been noticed after the alpha ?
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 What to Expect from Diablo II: Resurrected?
2 Community feedback on Diablo II Alpha: Resurrected
The graphic
The animation
Updated symbols
Simplifications
The accessibility
Setting the user interface
Others
Diablo II was originally released as a computer game in 2000 and two years later the expansion “Lord of Destruction” was added. The plot of Diablo II: Resurrected ties in with the first part of the franchise and puts the player back in the fight against the not finally destroyed Lord of Secrets. In addition to Diablo, his bigger brothers Mephisto, Lord of Hate and Baal, Lord of Destruction, have to be defeated. The destruction of the soul stones, which represent the big three evils, comes first. By mastering quests you secure rewards and progress in the story. Even the mysterious dark wanderer leaves Sanctuary in fear and terror. On the mission to save your home, you also follow him on his dark paths.
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM DIABLO II: RESURRECTED?
With “Diablo II: Resurrected” you can look forward to a revision of “Diablo II” and “Lord of Destruction” this fall. After more than 20 years, the story comes back to life as one of the seven character classes in the five acts. In addition to the dark and exciting story, the classic is waiting with some optical and technical changes. An improved 7.1 Dolby surround soundshall envelop Sanctuary in its sound. With updated graphics of up to 4K Ultra HD, the eye can’t complain either. In addition to the PC, the better performance should also be enjoyable on common consoles such as Playstaion, XBox X / S and the Nintendo Switch. If you want to stay true to your nostalgia and Diablo experience from day 1, you might as well switch to the original size of 800 x 600 resolution.
The 27-minute film sequences have also been reconstructed as original. The game supports cooperative gameplay with up to eight players, each of whom can take a mercenary with them. A cross-platform progress storage is planned, which means that characters, loot or quest progress can be accessed on any platform. All you need is a linked Battle.net account and a separately purchased “Diablo II: Resurrected” version.
COMMUNITY FEEDBACK ON DIABLO II ALPHA: RESURRECTED
The fact that the “Diablo II: Resurrected” team works closely with its community and really pays attention to the wishes of the fans is shown by the following improvements after the alpha version of the game:
The graphic
As far as the graphics are concerned, it is very important to the team to keep the familiar design of the monsters, heroes and items, but still optimize them with the latest technical possibilities, with the aim of appealing to old fans as well as new ones. For example, if you look at the “lightning strike” the sorceress uses to shoot electricity at her enemies, it has now become whiter and thicker and is closer to the original. The “Blizzard” of the sorceress has been revised in the same way. The paladin’s “holy frost”, which freezes and slows down enemies in the vicinity, has also been visually reworked to better reflect the original color.
The animation
The rate at which the character gains health and mana is now better balanced with the replenishment of the health and mana spheres.
Updated symbols
The team has intensified the colors of the symbols of scrolls, gemstones and potions in order to better emphasize the bright colors and to create a sharper image. So more attention is given to the focal points.
Simplifications
Developers agree that reluctance to modernize gameplay is needed to “protect the authentic experience”.
The accessibility
As for the accessibility of the game, it now automatically picks up gold. The modes were given a larger font and scaling for PC users was set up. Through all of this, Diablo II: Resurrected creates the “perfect balance between beautiful and retro”.
Setting the user interface
There is also an update to show and hide object names. You can switch at the touch of a button or simply use the classic “press and hold”. The shared loot chest offers significantly more space for storing items thanks to three compartments. There are also new assets to make the automatic map more readable. The clear overlay colors are better and there is now a single map option with three settings.
Others
In addition to the major changes, details have also been adjusted. A clock has been added, annoying grunts and screeches have been removed and characters no longer appear in dangerous zones and are attacked there during the loading process.
After this successful feedback implementation, “Diablo II: Resurrected” will soon enter the second hot phase. In August, players can drive development progress in the open multiplayer beta. You can pre-order the game here .
